College Football News Rankings

Enough playing around. Now it’s time for the tough love.

After two months of trying to piece the entire puzzle together and make everything fit nice and neatly, now everything has gone haywire.

Now it’s time to call out some teams for being just okay and overrated, while at the same time, continuing to give a little credit where past credit is due, even if those teams are having a hard time at the moment.

Where do you put Tennessee now? The Vols can’t be blamed too much for losing to Alabama and Texas A&M, but who loses to South Carolina? So they fall off the map, right? They still beat a Florida team whose best win is Georgia, and they beat a Virginia Tech team that’s as inconsistent as they come.

How about Louisville? Does it get credit for finding ways to get by awful Duke and Virginia teams by the skin of its teeth? How much longer does it get credit for the Florida State blowout?

And don’t even start down-ballot with inconsistency after inconsistency – no chance the MAC, Mountain West or Conference USA worlds can be ranked cleanly now after everything that went down this weekend.

So the goal is to get these rankings close, and hope things start to clear up a bit more over the next week or two.

CFN After Week 9 College Football Top 25 Rankings

1. Alabama (7-0)

CFN Week 8 Rank: 1Final Score: DIDN’T PLAY THIS WEEKUp Next: at LSU

If it’s possible for Alabama to look even better by not playing, it just happened. All the other top teams looked vulnerable, and now, with two weeks off, it’s time to flex a little muscle and come up with a huge win over LSU on the road.

2. Michigan (8-0)

It’s not a slam dunk. Yeah, Michigan State is a rivalry game, but it’s also a bad team that pushed the Wolverines so hard. Michigan struggled to put the game away, and the Spartans were able to stay alive just a wee bit too long.

3. Clemson (8-0)

Don’t ask how it happened, just take the win and enjoy 8-0. The Tigers might have looked a little ragged trying to stop Dalvin Cook, but when the defensive front had to kick it in, it got the job done. Pitt might be scary in a few weeks, but that’s it – the Tigers aren’t going to lose two of their last thee ACC games.

4. Washington (8-0)

Let’s just stop dancing around it. This is an above-average team that just so happens to be undefeated. Utah is a good team, but come on – it’s not a total killer. The Huskies needed a punt return to get out alive, but there’s no other decent option for the No. 4 slot.

5. Texas A&M (7-1)

Ohio State doesn’t deserve this spot, and Louisville definitely doesn’t deserve it. The Aggies might have blown out a bad New Mexico State team, but they deserved the break after dealing with Alabama. It’ll be smooth sailing up until the regular season finale against LSU.

6. Ohio State (7-1)

We know you’re going to figure this out and fix it, Ohio State. You know you’re going to figure it out and fix it. Now do it – fast – or you’re going to get tagged by Nebraska. However, don’t get into twist over the Buckeyes being 24-point favorites over Northwestern – that’s a strong Wildcat team right now. The line should’ve been around ten, at most.

7. Wisconsin (6-2)

How do you know Wisconsin is pretty good? It’s doing everything possible to mess it up, and yet it’s still winning. The red zone offense continues to be a concern, the placekicking is a liability, and the quarterbacks threw bad picks – and the Badgers still handed Nebraska its first loss.

8. Auburn (6-2)

Raise your hand if you thought Auburn would be 6-2 after a 1-2 start? How about this – it’s going to be 9-2 after beating Vanderbilt, Georgia and Alabama A&M. The running game is unstoppable at the moment, and the defense is getting the job done, too.

9. LSU (5-2)

CFN Week 8 Rank: 10Final Score: DIDN’T PLAY THIS WEEKUp Next: Alabama

Alright, LSU. Here you go. As it turns out, those teams you lost to – Wisconsin and Auburn – can play a little ball. Your finishing kick is going to be a problem, Tigers, but that’s a plus considering your two losses. It’s all right there for the taking – now beat Alabama.

10. Louisville (7-1)

It’s time to cut the crap. Louisville roasted one real team – Florida State. Yeah, the Cardinals played well against Clemson – and they lost. They struggled way too much to beat a horrible Duke team, they needed Lamar Jackson to be a Heisman-winner to get by a miserable Virginia team, and that NC State team they blew out just lost to Boston College.

11. Tennessee (5-3)

Merry Christmas, Tennessee. Despite the three-game losing streak and the inexcusable loss to South Carolina, you’re here because you did beat Virginia Tech, and you did beat Florida. That seems like five years ago, but you’re being credit for that. Based on how you’re playing, though, you don’t belong in the top 25. If you, the college football public, wish to complain about this ranking, you’re absolutely right.

12. Virginia Tech (6-2)

Desperately wishing Virginia Tech had blasted Pitt so it could’ve been moved ahead of a Tennessee team it lost to. The Panthers are good, but that was just shaky enough of a performance to keep the Hokies a step behind.

13. North Carolina (6-2)

How awesome does that easy peasy 35-14 win over Virginia look now after the way the Cavaliers pushed Louisville? The Tar Heels can’t whiff on the rivalry game road date at Duke or next week’s game against a dangerous Georgia Tech ground game. If UNC wins those, it’ll be 9-2 going into the NC State game.

14. Florida State (5-3)

There’s no need to punish the Seminoles after that, but the O line had better figure something out in a hurry or it’ll get Deondre Francois killed. Slice it however you want to, but the Noles losing three games this year – all in the ACC – is a total and complete failure for a team this good.

15. Florida (6-1)

Yeah, fine, the Gators shut down a mediocre Georgia team and held it to a dead stop at times, and yeah, fine, they’re going to play for the SEC championship for the second year in a row now that Tennessee gagged to South Carolina, but your best win can’t be Georgia. This is still the same team that lost to the Vols by ten.

16. Nebraska (7-1)

Seriously, Huskers, what more did you want Wisconsin to do? Maybe gift wrap a few interceptions? The Badgers did just that. How about miss some clutch kicks? You got that, too. They did everything possible to give you that game, and you weren’t able to take it. Beat Ohio State, though, and the Big Ten and playoff hopes are back on.

17. Oklahoma (6-2)

The offense is unstoppable right now. Yeah, blowing out Kansas is hardly a feat, and Kansas State is the only good win in this five-game stretch – okay, maybe Texas, too – but this is what the Sooners are supposed to be doing. They’re going to win the Big 12 title again.

18. Penn State (6-2)

CFN Week 8 Rank: 25Final Score: Penn State 62, Purdue 24Up Next: Iowa

Just when it seemed like Penn State – Ohio State upset and all – might be ripe for the picking against a Purdue team at home with nothing to lose, Saquon Barkley turned it loose in an epic scoring day by the Nittany Lion offense. Beat Iowa, and it’ll be a 10-2 regular season, just hoping and praying Michigan can gag somewhere before losing to Ohio State.

19. Oklahoma State (6-2)

It’s time to blow off that Central Michigan loss. Yeah, the Chippewas aren’t all that strong now, and the loss is going to be an albatross all year, but a four-game Cowboy winning streak and a win over West Virginia by 17 makes up for it. Now OSU has to prove it’s ready to do something special and be in the race by winning at Kansas State.

20. West Virginia (6-1)

The Mountaineers played better than the final score. They screwed up, Oklahoma State didn’t – at least not enough – and now they need to get their mojo back against Kansas before dealing with Texas on the road and Oklahoma.

21. Washington State (6-2)

Mike Leach might be goofy, he continues to put his team in bad spots with weird fourth down decisions, and his system is getting his NFL-caliber quarterback destroyed, but he’s also on a six-game winning streak. The crazy part about it? As bad as the six teams were on the run – UCLA and Stanford cheerfully included – there’s still more gravy with Arizona up next and Cal to follow.

22. Utah (7-2)

For Utah to lose on a special teams whiff is particularly galling. The Utes proved they could hang with a big boy, but they’ve also shown a bizarre penchant for playing up (USC, Washington) or down (Oregon State, Cal) to their competition. The road trip to Arizona State will be telling.

23. Arkansas (5-3)

CFN Week 8 Rank: 21Final Score: DIDN’T PLAY THIS WEEKUp Next: Florida

This is more of a good-loss ranking than a deserved-on-merit one. The three losses? Texas A&M, Alabama and at Auburn. Fine, so they were all blowouts, and beating TCU and Ole Miss isn’t impressive now, but now comes the measuring stick. The rested Hogs have a chance to show they belong even higher with a date against Florida.

24. USC (5-3)

CFN Week 8 Rank: 22Final Score: USC 45, Cal 24Up Next: Oregon

It’s the trendy thing to gush over how good USC is now that Sam Darnold is under center, and the four-game winning streak is good, but Colorado is the only good win in the run. It’s not going to be an easy November facing Oregon, at Washington, at UCLA and Notre Dame.

25. Colorado (6-2)

CFN Week 8 Rank: 23Final Score: DIDN’T PLAY THIS WEEKUp Next: UCLA

Don’t look now, but the Buffaloes are your Pac-12 South leader with three home games in the final four, and the road game at Arizona. Here’s the thing, though, about the six wins so far – Stanford is the only victory over a team that’s certain to go bowling.